We got an early start the next morning and started the four hour journey from Goose Island to Garner State Park near San Antonio. We got there on a Friday afternoon just after check in opened and it was really busy, it took almost 30 minutes to get checked in. The sites at the park were OK, not a lot of privacy but we went for a walk down with Misty by the Frio river and had a campfire that night. The next morning we went on a longer hike on some of the parks trails which were great, we probably walked about 7km in total. In the afternoon we hoped to go for a motorcycle ride but only got a couple miles North of the park before realizing the wind was far too strong so we turned around and went back.
The following morning we packed up early and moved the motorhome to the day use area so we could try the ride again. The route was known as the “Three Sisters” for the three different ranch roads it was comprised of. It was an enjoyable ride with many twists, hills and turns, and we were back by lunch time to head on to our next destination.
We had debated staying a third night at Garner but wanted to get halfway to our next stop at Davis Mountains State Park instead, since it was over 5 hours away. Last year when we visted Big Bend Texas we had stopped at a lovely little park called Seminole Canyon, so we aimed for it once again. We were reminded once we arrived why we liked it so much last time, the views were incredible.
We started out the next morning for Davis Mountains, stopping for groceries in Alpine, TX en route. We didn’t do a whole lot that afternoon as we were pretty tired from all the driving the past couple days. The next morning however we set out to walk the “Skyline Drive Trail” which took us up into the mountains on a series of switchbacks for marvellous views out over the valley below.
That evening we decided to take in the “Star Party” at the McDonald Observatory a few miles up the road from the state park. It was quite enjoyable and we were very impressed by the knowledge of the staff.
The next morning Gareth headed out on a solo motorcycle ride around the Davis Mountains Loop. The best part of the ride however was the scenery between the observatory and the state park which we’d already seen. That afternoon we both headed down into the town of Fort Davis to see the historical site remains of the fort that gave the town its name. The wind was really picking up though we so cut our visit short and made our way back to the state park for our last evening.
Our last stop for Week 10 was Guadalupe Mountains National Park, due north from Fort Davis and right on the border with New Mexico. It was here that we entered the Mountain Time Zone for the first time. In the morning we decided to head out on a hike after breakfast, one of the more moderate ones on offer. We made a wrong turn however and after two hours realized we were actually on the Guadalupe Peak trail, a strenous 8 mile roundtrip hike with a 2000 ft elevation change. We debated turning back but decided to go for it. It took us about 4 hours to reach the summit but it was worth it! The views were amazing in all directions. The descent took about half the time but we were both very tired after such a long hike.
